1. Pigment is Paramount
Choosing the right pigment brand to use in your salon is key to lasting results and client satisfaction.
It’s important to remember that our clients have different undertones and therefore the need for colour swatching is crucial in order to effectively access the colour choices. As the Tattoo Artist, it’s best that you choose through consultation with your client whether she would like to be the same colour as her exsisting hair or darker, initially swatch two colours, allow to dry and check the pigment has not taken on an ashy/green or red tone. If the pigments have discoloured, you must test another two colours until a suitable match has been found. Ensure you only ever colour match on makeup free skin, as swatches applied to foundation will give you false results.
Opting for a colour range that contains modifiers within the primary colour can really help colours to stay true once implanted into the dermis. Of course, we can expect slight colour fading however if using top of the line pigment you will see amazing colour retention with no nasty colour changes after the healing period is over.
Tattoo healing: “My brows are too dark!”
Clients can be quite upset the following day post treatment, so it’s important during the consultation you advise your client of what to expect throughout the healing phases. More specifically, that in the first day (or two) post-treatment, the colour will appear very dark. Reassure your client before and after the treatment that this effect is normal and will only last a few days before they start to fade and settle down.
2. Aftercare Essentials
Salvon and Bepanthan are not adequate aftercare if you want great colour retention for your clients; these two products allow the incisions to dry out and scab, leading to scarring and colour loss.
At Rachel Lavelle Training, we only use the highest quality Aftercare Gel which is used in hospitals around the world: Stratamed. Stratamed is an advanced, film-forming wound dressing specifically deveopled to help wounds heal faster, prevent drying out, and help prevent abnormal scarring. The higher viscosity also ensures a stronger contact with the wound bed or damaged surface.
For maximum colour retention and client health, we highly recommend you prioritise use of Stratmed Gel.
All Rachel Lavelle Certified tattoo students have access to buy this product at wholesale prices from our online Pro Supplies Shoppe
3. The Perfect Hair Stroke
Like all cosmetic tattoo artists, we want clean, smooth strokes. Here are some of my top tips for sharp clean lines:
- Ensure needle pressure is consistent from the beginning of the stroke to the end. Using a flicking motion creates inconsistency and will impart only a small and shallow deposit of colour. When these heal, the tail of the stroke will be missing leading to shaping issues once healed.
- Prevent live blurring by spacing your lines evenly and not too close together.
- Colour wash your heart out to deposit maximum colour into the incision.
4. To Tattoo or Not To Tattoo
On initial consultation, it’s important to assess whether your client is suited to microblading – Do they have enlarged pores and excessively oily skin?
Enlarged pores create a world of problems when trying to microblade. Due to the pores being so large, the pigment ends up blurring under the dermis leading to a powder effect result and poor colour rentention. Likewise for oily skin types, the constant secreation of oil works against you when you’re trying to implant colour into the skin. For these clients the tattoo may only last mere months and is probably not worth it for them. If they’re adamant in wanting to move forward with the treatment, have them sign a waiver explaining the possible risk of the colour not retaining, to protect yourself.
5. Measuring the Brows
Measuring and drawing eyebrows can be one of the most frustrating procedures – luckily I have a few tips to make your drawing feel less stressful.
- Invest in a calipher! Use this to find the centre point between the brows, measuring from the middle of the nose. If your clients nose is broken, use their cupids bow.
- Get yourself some measuring stickers. Align the 0 with the middle marking. A great option is available for purchase at Rachel Lavelle Pro Supplies Shoppe.
- Assess both brows and choose the brow you like the best – start your drawing on that side.
- Match the opposite side next, paying careful attention to the inside markings on the sticker to find the right start point and depth. This way you can align both brows perfectly without any stress or guessing.
- Using a fine tipped black brow pencil is best, carefully outline both brows.
If drawing is taking too long, you can continue your designing then, with a steady hand, apply the numbing cream to only the inside of the line work so your client will be comfortable for the ‘first pass’.
Pro Tips of the Day
- Do not wax on the same day as microblading.
- Colour wash minimum of three times.
- Leave the final colour wash on for up to 15 minutes for bleeders.
- Shade over any areas that have empty gaps that cannot adequately be filled with hair strokes.
- Twist the hand tool to creates curved lines.
- Work slowly; you will impart more colour if you drag slower.
- Always follow the clients natural hair flow to ensure hyper realistic brows.